Susan E. RayProfessional
"Everyone has been made for some particular work,
and the desire for that work has been put in every heart."
- Rumi
One of the greatest assets of a bricoleur is the vast array of experiences and knowledge they bring to each situation. I have held positions as teacher, professor, and school administrator, working with students of all ages. The depth and breadth of of these practices and knowledge have given me a grinding stone for my professional toolbox. I believe it is through career and personal opportunities that individuals grind the lens through which they see others and their world. The more lenses we have, the greater the clarity of and interest in events and politics that affect our educational settings. I have the benefit of working in the field of education in different states and serving a fellowship in Malawi, Africa. That broad view has stoked in me a keen interest in world politics, economics, and education.
Philosophy of Educational Leadership
Resumé
Current Job Description
The bricolage I have crafted from these experiences, and the competencies gained from this doctoral program prompt me to reflect on the past, explore the present, and envision the future. As Warren Bennis reminds us: "To look forward with acuity you must first look back with honesty".
In looking back, I present my resumé, a brief glimpse into my various professional experiences from which I draw so much to succeed in the present. My goals reflect how I plan to merge all that I draw from this program into my professional roles. My professional life is a structure built from experience and my philosophy is the mortar.
If others I have worked with judge me as competent and successful, it is because of the guidance and assistance I have received from those with whom I worked, including my professors at St. John's University. Philosopher George Matthews Adams said it best:
"We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success".